Container arrangement



Nov. 30, 1965 H. SPECKETER CONTAINER ARRANGEMENT Filed Dec. 4, 1962 Fig. I

Fig. 2

Fig. 4

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7AM J. 9mm

AMM

United States Patent 3,220,619 CGNTAINER ARRANGEMENT Hellmut Specketer, Frankfurt am Main-Griesheim, Germany, assignor to Pantaplast G.m.h.H., Frankfurt am Main, Germany Filed Dec. 4, 1962, Ser. No. 242,205 6 Claims. (Cl. 222-90) The present invention relates to containers and, more particularly to flexible containers formed of flat or tubular synthetic foil material.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a flexible container including means for opening the same in a simple and advantageous manner.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide the container with opening means which may be closed so as to seal the container again after a portion of its contents have been removed.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a further reading of the description and of the appended claims.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention comprises a container including a portion adapted to be filled, comprising, in combination, a wall of flexible sheet material forming said container portion adapted to be filled, two portions of said sheet material integral with the wall directly superimposed upon and held in contact with each other so as to form a double wall portion integral with the portion of the container adapted to be filled, piercing means for piercing the container wall so as to form an opening therein, and holding means at the double wall portion for holding the piercing means.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the same contemplates a closed container including a filled portion, comprising, in combination, a wall of flexible sheet material forming the filled container portion, two edge portions of the sheet material integral with the wall and directly superimposed upon and held in contact with each other so as to form a double wall portion incapable of being filled and integral with the filled portion of the container, piercing means for piercing the container wall so as to form an opening therein, the piercing means comprising a substantially pin-shaped piercing member having a head portion of predetermined width and integral therewith a piercing portion of lesser width extending outwardly from the head portion and terminating in a free, pointed end portion, the piercing member being formed with a threaded channel communicating at both ends with the outer atmosphere and extending from the head portion to a point of the piercing portion located in the vicinity of the pointed end portion thereof, threaded closure means for closing the open end of the channel located in the head portion of the piercing member, and holding means at the double wall portion for holding the piercing means.

According to the present invention, the more or less bag-shaped filled container which may be closed adhesively or by welding, heat sealing or clamping is provided with an unfilled flap-like portion formed of and integral with the resilient sheet material forming the wall of the filled container portion. The unfilled flap-like portion, which preferably will be an edge portion of the container, serves for holding opening means, for instance, a piercing member, which may be used for piercing a hole into the wall of the filled container portion. The piercing member, for instance, may be inserted into an aperture extending through the flap-shaped container portion. Size and configuration of the aperture will be so chosen that the piercing member will be firmly held therein. Preferably, as stated above, the flap-shaped portion will be located at and form an edge of the container.

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The flap-shaped portion is preferably produced by welding superimposed portions of the container wall-forming flexible sheet material, preferably synthetic sheet material, to each other.

The piercing member which is preferably thorn-like or pin-shaped may consist of metal or of a synthetic material which, however, must possess greater hardness than the flexible sheet material forming the container wall.

For piercing the container wall, the piercing member may either be removed from the flap-shaped container portion, or the flap-shaped container portion may be bent in such a manner that the pointed end of the piercing member will be directed against and contact the wall of the filled container portion so that upon exertion of pressure the piercing member will penetrate the container wall, forming a hole therein through which the contents of the container or package may be withdrawn.

The piercing member may also serve for again closing or sealing the package after the same had been opened and, for instance, a portion of the contents of the container have been withdrawn.

As will be described in more detail below, preferably, the piercing member is formed with an annular groove in the vicinity of its end portion which is opposite to its pointed piercing portion so that, upon piercing of the container wall, the pierced wall portion may engage the grooved portion of the piercing member so as to hold the same in contact with the container wall and to prevent passage of contents of the container between the pierced portion of the container wall and the piercing member. The grooved portion of the piercing member may also be engaged by the apertured part of the flap so as to secure the piercing member in contact with the flap portion of the container.

As described above, the wall of the container will be pierced by the piercing member, the piercing member will then be withdrawn to permit a desired portion of the contents of the container to flow through the opening formed by piercing the container wall and thereafter, the opening in the container wall may again be closed by the insertion of the piercing member.

However, it is also possible according to the present invention to form the piercing member with a channel or conduit therethrough extending from the vicinity of the pointed portion of the piercing member to the head portion thereof so that upon piercing of the container wall, contents of the container may be withdrawn through the channel in the piercing member. This channel may extend substantially parallel to the axis of the piercing member or inclined thereto and, in another preferred em bodiment of the present invention, closure means, such as a plug having an elongated shank and a head on one end of the shank, may be provided for closing the outer opening of the channel. It is also possible to provide the channel wall and the shank of the closure means with corresponding screw threads so as to form a screw connection between the channel wall and the shank of the closure member.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIGS. 1 and 2 are elevational views of different embodiments of the container portions of the present invention; and

FIGS. 3-6 are elevational views in cross section of various embodiments of the piercing means of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing, and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the sealed container 1, made of flexible synthetic sheet material includes a flap edge portion 2 which is formed by Welding together opposite wall portions of container 1. The welded seam which extends from the flap-forming edge of the container to. the adjacent edge may either be parallel to the welded seam formed at the opposite end of the container, as illustrated in FIG. 1, or may be inclined to the welded seam at the opposite end of the container, as illustrated in FIG. 2..

The piercing member illustrated in FIG. comprises a conical piercing portion 3, a button-like head portion 5 and an annular groove 4 in the piercing portion 3 adjacent to head portion 5. One of the purposes of annular groove 4 is to secure the piercing member when inserted into aperture 6 of flap portion 2, or also when the piercing member is inserted into the wall of the filled portion of container 1. The diameter of aperture 6 is correlated to the diameter of groove 4 so that the piercing member may be inserted into aperture 6 and the flap portion surrounding aperture 6 will engage groove 4.

According to FIG. 3, a channel 7 extends from the vicinity of the pointed and piercing portion 3 to head portion 5. Channel 7 may be plugged by a closure member comprising shank portion 8 and head portion 9, whereby the diameter of shank portion 8 corresponds to that of channel 7, so that upon insertion of shank 8 the same will be gripped by the wall of channel 7.

According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, a threaded channel 10 is provided and the closing member comprises threaded shank 11 and head portion 12 so that shank 11 can be screwed into channel 10.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6 differs from that illustrated in FIG. 3 by having channel 7 arranged inclined to the axis of the piercing member and, correspondingly shank 8 of the closing member extending at an acute angle from head 9.

Which of the various embodiments of piercing members is to be used in any given case will depend on practical considerations, primarily on the type of material in the container. The container arrangement according to the present invention may be advantageously used, for solid pulverulent material such as salt, sugar or flour, or also for holding liquids which may be of high or low viscosity such as soya sauce or ice cream toppings.

It is also within the scope of the present invention to hold the piercing member on the flap portion 2 of container 1 by means of a clamp which may be so arranged on the edge of the package or container that it prevents access of the contents of the container to the flap portion thereof. In this case, the flap portion may be formed without sealing the two flexible sheet edge portions of the flap to each other.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of containers differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in containers formed of flexible sheet material, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A sealed package comprising, in combination, a wall of flexible sheet material forming a filled container portion; two edge portions of said sheet material integral with said wall and directly superimposed upon and held in contact with each other so as to form a double wall portion incapable of being filled and integral with said filled portion of said container; holding means at said double wall portion including an opening therein having a predetermined cross-sectional area; and a substantially thorn-shaped piercing means consisting of a material of greater hardness than said flexible sheet material formed with an annular groove and having in the area of said annular groove a cross-sectional area substantially matching the cross-sectional area of said opening in said double wall portion, said piercing means arranged with said annular groove located in said opening so as to be held detachably within said groove, whereby upon removal of said piercing means from said opening in said double wall portion said piercing means may be used for manually piercing said filled container portion of said sealed package.

2. A sealed package according to claim 1, wherein said flexible sheet material is a synthetic plastic sheet material and wherein said thorn-shaped piercing means consists of metal.

3. A sealed package according to claim 1, wherein said piercing means includes a head portion and a pointed piercing portion.

4. A sealed package according to claim 3, wherein said piercing means is formed with a channel passing through said head portion and said pointed piercing portion and being open at both ends so that upon manual piercing of the filled container portion with said piercing means, the channel passing through said piercing means may be used as a spout.

5. A sealed package according to claim 4, including closure means for closing the open end of said channel located in said head portion of said piercing means.

6. A sealed package according to claim 5, wherein said channel is threaded and wherein said closure is also threaded so as to be adapted to be screwed into said threaded channel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,370,739 3/1921 Gay 222- 2,013,361 9/1935 Reynolds 222-90 2,023,919 12/ 1935 Duvall.

2,218,285 lO/ 1940 Jellik 222-81 2,453,133 11/1948 Jones 222-8l 2,666,553 1/ 1954 Tammi 222-90 2,675,957 4/ 1954 Zimmerman.

2,986,142 5/1961 Bieberdorf et a1. 222,-81 X LOUIS J. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Examiner. 

1. A SEALED PACKAGE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A WALL OF FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL FORMING A FILLED CONTAINER PORTION; TWO EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL INTEGRAL WITH SAID WALL AND DIRECTLY SUPERIMPOSED UPON AND HELD IN CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER SO AS TO FORM A DOUBLE WALL PORTION INCAPABLE OF BEING FILLED AND INTEGRAL WITH SAID FILLED PORTION OF SAID CONTAINER; HOLDING MEANS AT SAID DOUBLE WALL PORTION INCLUDING AN OPENING THEREIN HAVING A PREDETERMINED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA; AND A SUBSTANTIALLY THORN-SHAPED PIERCING MEANS CONSISTING OF A MATERIAL OF GREATER HARDNESS THAN SAID FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL FORMED WITH AN ANNULAR GROOVE AND HAVING IN THE AREA OF SAID ANNULAR GROOVE A CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA SUBSTANTIALLY MATCHING THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID OPENING IN SAID DOUBLE WALL PORTION, SAID PIERCING MEANS ARRANGED WITH SAID ANNULAR GROOVE LOCATED IN SAID OPENING SO AS TO BE HELD DETACHABLY WITHIN SAID GROOVE, WHEREBY UPON REMOVAL OF SAID PIERCING MEANS FROM SAID OPENING IN SAID DOUBLE WALL PORTION SAID PIERCING MEANS MAY BE USED FOR MANUALLY PIERCING SAID FILLED CONTAINER PORTION OF SAID SEALED PACKAGE. 